Gas and oil separator



Oct. 10, 1950 s. A. MILLER GAS AND OIL sEPARAToR Filed June 16, 1947FIG. l.

a a n. o

INVENTOR SIDNEY -A. mLLER BY s t ATTORNEY Patented ocr. 1o, 195o UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,525,233 GAS AND oIL Seminarort Sidney A. Miller,Midway City, Calif;

Application June 16, 1947, Serial-No.75425 The present invention relatesto gas and oil separators in general and particularly to such separatorsdesigned to be positioned within the casing of an oil well. Moreparticularly the in vention comprises an improved gas and oil separatorwhich, in a preferred form, seats the pumping unit deep in the well andincreases its normal eiiiciency by separating the entrained gases in theoil before reaching the pump.

The use of gas and oil separators, commonly referred to asr gas anchors,is today recognized as a desirable means of increasing production in anoil well. Not s many years ago such separators or anchors were run onlyas a remedial measure or to aid in the operation of an adjoining well.

In the pumping of oil from a well inevitably volumes of gas areentrained in the oil stream which move upwardly with it in the manner ofa percolator. Upon reaching the pumping unit the entrained gas permitstheV pump to race and to perform no useful work. To eliminate thesebubbles or gaseous bodies and to maintain a more nearly constant loadupon the pumping mechanism would not only remove unnecessary strainsfrom the pumping mechanism but would also increase its output.Additionally, there is the problem of minimizing the disturbances ofsilt, etc. in the well and the maintenance of an even unagitated iiowserves particularly in this connection.

The gas and oil separators of the prior art have notsuccessfullystabilized the flow of oil and, while they have in certaininstances improved the efciency of the well, they have failed to obtainoptimum results. With an appreciation of the desirable results to beobtained by efficient gas and oil separation within the well and,further, with appreciation of the defects which characterize the priorart constructions, it is an object of the present invention to provide anew and improved gas and oil separator for oil wells. Y

It is another object of the invention to `provide a new and improved gasand oil separator Claims. (Cl. 18S-2.7)

for oil wells which supports the pump unit within source.

A still further object of the invention is t yprovidev a simplified gasand oil separator of maximum eiii'ciency.

These and other more specic objects will appear upon kreading thefollowing specification and claims and upon considering in connectiontherewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred exemplary embodimentof the invention isillustrated: y

Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal section through a Vportion of an oilwell casing in which is positioned a gas ,anchor constructed inaccordance with the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a transverse section upon the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Referring again to the drawing an oil well casing positioned Well belowthe ground level is shown in section and is indicated by the referencecharacter II. Such casings extend downwardly into the earth for manythousand feet, the distance sometimes running into miles as is wellknown in the art. The particular length shown represents a portion ofthe casing below the natural oil level. Within casing I I is positioneda gas anchor constructed in accordance with the present invention andindicated generally by the reference character IU. Anchor I0 is locatedbetween an upper string of oil-conducting tubing I2 and a lower stringI3 and is removably connected thereto as will be described.

Anchor I@ is so constructed as to provide three chambers which areindicated by the characters A, B and C, which may be'called,respectively, the entrance chamber, the gas separation chamber, and thepumping or pump suction chamber. In the normal operation oil iiowsthrough the chambers in the order mentioned. An inner pipe I6 ofsubstantially the same diameter as upper tubing I2 is interiorlythreaded into a Y couping Il at its upper end, which coupling in turn isconnected by a sho-rt length nipple I8 to a Y coupling I9, itselfthreadedly seating the lower end of tubing I2. Nipple I8 and pipe I6 ineffect form a continuation of tubing I2 and connect it directly to a,pump shoe 2|. The latter, in external appearance is like a couplingwitln threaded ends, being provided with an internal bore merging into asmoothly expanding curved pump seat 22 at its upper end. A suitable pump23 is seated upon seat 22 and is suitably provided with electricalpowerrfrom an exterior A tail piece 24 threadedly connects to the lowerend of shoe 2l and is provided with a similar internal bore and inaddition thereto is formed with a plurality of radially extendingtransverse ports or passageways 26. In the illustrated embodiment thelower end of tail piece 24 is closed by a screw plug 21. Pumping orsuction chamber C, previously mentioned, is formed by the interior boreof shoe 2|.

Concentrically enclosing the pipe or conduit I6 and extending below thelower end of plug 21 is an intermediate pipe or conduit 3| which may bereferred to as the gas separator jacket. The upper end of separatorjacket 3| is interiorly threaded and connects to Y coupling I1 and itsinteriorly threaded lower end connects to a third and lowermost Ycoupling 32 which, in turn, is threadedly connected at its lower end tothe lower string of tubing I3.Y Adjacent its upper end and below thecoupling I1 jacket 3| is provided with a multiplicity ofcircumferentially spaced perforations or openings 33. Additionally, andopposite the tail piece24, it is formed with openings 34 through whichtransverse tubes 26 extend in sealed relationship, the tubes opening attheir inner ends to'suction chamber C. Aforementioned entrance chamber Acomprises the space within pipe 3| and around pipe I6 and its connectedparts. The chamber may be said to extend upwardly from the nipple 32 tothe perforations 33.

Positioned concentrically about separator jacket 3| and threadedlyconnected at its interiorly threaded ends to coupling I9 and to lowercoupling 32 is an external shell or tubing 36 which, in the manner ofjacket 3|, is formed with a plurality of perforations or ports 31 nearits upper end and specifically immediately adjacent and below couplingI9. The space between separator jacket 3| and external shell 36comprises the separator chamber B which is interiorly connected tochamber A through perforations 33 and to exterior space within thecasing II by the perforations 31.

The described construction makes possible a continuous ow of oilupwardly within the well. Oil is forced by the pressure within the wellupwardly through lower tubing I3 and into entrance chamber A in which itrises upwardly past tail piece 24 and pump shoe 2| to pass outwardlythrough the openings 33 into the surrounding separation chamber B. Thetransverse tubes 2E are sealed to tail piece 24 and to jacket 3| and theoil in passing through chamber A cannot enter pumping chamber C.

Upon passing through the perforations 33 into the separation chamber Bany entrained gas escapes from the oil and passes through theperforations or ports 31 into the surrounding casing from which it maypass to the ambient atmosphere at the top of the casing. The oil, nowfreed from gas, travels downwardly in chamber B and is drawn throughports 26 and into pumping chamber C by the suction created by the pump23. The oil is forced upwardly by pump 23 through pipe 26, nipple I 8into pipe I2 and therethrough to the top of the well.

The gas and oil are forced by the natural pressure head in the wellupwardly through chamber A, through perforations 33 and into separationchamber B and it is from the latter chamber that the pump 23 actuallypumps the oil. As that chamber is constantly supplied with a head pump23 will at all times be loaded and variations and fluctuations in itsspeed and output are eliminated and its eiiiciency correspondinglyincreased. Additionally, the disturbing eifects upon the silt,

etc. by irregular oil ilow within the well is minimized and thepossibility of a gas lock positively eliminated.

When the well is rst placed in operation the oil level may be above thetop of the gas anchor, that is, above the perforations 31. In thatevent, and until the level has been lowered below ports 31, oil willinitially ow downwardly and through perforations 31 into separationchamber B from which it will then be drawn, as previously described.Once the level has been lowered, however, to a point below openings 31the oil flo-w Will be as described which is to be understood to be thenormal operation of the device.

While the particular apparatus herein shown and described in detail isfully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantageshereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention andthat no limitations are intended to the details of construction ordesign herein' shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a self-contained gas and oil separator adapted for verticaldisplacement in an oil Well casing, a body adapted to be connected tothe oil-conducting tubing below the natural oil level and includingmeans forming a central entrance chamber, means independent of anyenclosing oil well casing forming a separation chamber positioned aroundand connected at its top to said entrance chamber, and means forming aninner central chamber adapted to receive a pump and to connect tooil-conducting tubing leading to the ground surface, and meansconnecting said separation chamber and said central chamber.

2. In a self-contained gas and oil separator adapted for verticaldisplacement in an oil well casing, arbody adapted to be connectedintermediate a string of oil-conducting pipes below the natural levelina well and formed interiorly as a continuous passage with a central upowextension, an enclosing downflow, vertical extension, and an innermostupflow vertical extension, characterized in that at a junction of saidupflow and downow extensions escape means are provided for entrainedgases.

3. In a self-contained gas and oil separator adapted for verticaldisplacement in an oil well casing, a body adapted to be connectedintermediate a string of oil-conducting pipes below the natural level ina well and formed interiorly within itself as a continuous passage withupflow and downflow vertical extensions, characterized in that at thejunction of an upflow and a downflow vertical extension escape means areprovided for entrained gases, and in that a pair of said extensions areconnected for flow transversely through an intermediate extension.

4. In a self-contained gas and oil separator adaptedV for verticalYdisplacement in an oil well casing, a body adapted to be connected tooilconducting tubing and including ported couplings at its opposite endsfor that purpose, an outer tubing connecting said couplings, an innertubing inside said outer tubing closed at one end and open to the portof one of said couplings, an intermediate tubing positioned between saidinner and outer tubings and open at one end to the port of the other ofsaid couplings, means closing the space between said inner andintermediate tubings at a point spaced from the connection of the,latter Vand the coupling, and transverse conduit means extended throughythe space between said inner and intermediate tubings and connectingthe interior of said inner tubing lwith' 6 REFERENCES CITED VThefollowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Gignoux et a1. Feb. 16, 1926Chancellor et al. July 13, 1926 Lybyer Jan. 8, 1929 Werts Aug. 29, 1939Shultz Feb. 3, 1942 Buckley Feb. 8, 1944

1. IN A SELF-CONTAINED GAS AND OIL SEPARATOR ADAPTED FOR VERTICALDISPLACEMENT IN AN OIL WELL CASING, A BODY ADAPTED TO BE CONECTED TO THEOIL-CONDUCTING TUBING BELOW THE NATURAL OIL LEVEL AND INCLUDING MEANSFORMING A CENTRAL ENTRANCE CHAMBER, MEANS INDEPENDENT OF ANY ENCLOSINGOIL WELL CASING FORMING A SEPARATION CHAMBER POSITIONED AROUND ANDCONNECTED AT ITS TOP TO SAID ENTRANCE CHAMBER, AND MEANS FORMING ANINNER CENTRAL CHAMBER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A PUMP AND TO CONNECT TOOIL-CONDUCTING TUBING LEADING TO THE